Qatar’s home-grown film industry marks another milestone with the Doha Film Institute (DFI) showcasing 16 captivating films in ‘Made in Qatar’ at the fifth Ajyal Youth Film Festival.
The annual event is scheduled from November 29 to December 4 at the Katara – the Cultural Village.
The Made in Qatar section, one of the most popular segments of Ajyal, was formed in 2009 as a platform for short films from aspiring Qatar-based filmmakers, and has since grown into an integral programming strand, highlighting the diversity of creative talent in Qatar.
Presented by Occidental Petroleum, the Made in Qatar section this year will have two short film programmes with narratives and documentaries. It includes the world premieres of recently completed projects from 2015 and 2016 Qatar Film Fund recipients, 1001 Days by Aisha al-Jaidah and Elevate by Hamida Issa.
These films will vie for the Made in Qatar Awards, chosen by an expert jury that includes prominent Qatari actor Salah al-Mulla, Palme D’Or winning Lebanese director Ely Dagher, and founder of Kuwaiti Communications Agency Twentytwo11 Dana Mado.
“Made in Qatar has evolved from being a sidebar programme to taking centre stage at Ajyal, inspiring the increasing number of ambitious young filmmakers in Qatar and providing them with a platform to present our stories to global audiences,” festival director and DFI CEo Fatma al-Remaihi said.
She added that this year’s impressive slate of accomplished films stand out with bold subjects and brilliant narrative styles.
“We are proud of the contribution of our young talents to building a vibrant creative industry in Qatar and inspiring their peers. The quality of the films presented in Made in Qatar demonstrates an exciting path that our young filmmakers are forging in the industry,” al-Remaihi noted.
Following their screenings at Ajyal, DFI will bring a curated selection of Made in Qatar films to audiences at international film festival markets, including Clermont-Ferrand, Cannes Short Film Corner, Berlinale, Giffoni Film Festival and Sarajevo Film Festival among others.
The selection to be screened in Made in Qatar at Ajyal 2017 includes 1001 Days, Chaos Antidote by Hadeer Omar and Idris Elhassan, Dreams That Stayed by Noor al-Nasr, Elevate, Embodiment by Khalifa al-Marri, I Have Been Watching You All Along by Rawda al-Thani, Khurshid by Mazen Shafea and Mohamed Elamin, Our Time Is Running Out by Meriem Mesraoua, Red by Kholood al-Ali, Smicha by Amal al-Muftah, The Fishermen by Obada Jarbi, The Noble Tree by Ghassan Kairouz and Pascale Abou Jamra, There Be Dragons by Suzannah Mirghani, Treasures of the Past by Rawan al-Nassiri and Nada Bedair, Voices from the Urbanscape by Shaima al-Tamimi and Mariam Salim, and Walls by Nibu Vasudevan.